Higher-Order Corrections in Threshold Resummation

Abstract

We extend the threshold resummation exponents G^N in Mellin-N space to the fourth logarithmic (N^3LL) order collecting the terms alpha_s^2 (alpha_s ln N)^n to all orders in the strong coupling constant as. Comparing the results to our previous three-loop calculations for deep-inelastic scattering (DIS), we derive the universal coefficients B_q and B_g governing the final-state jet functions to order alpha_s^3, extending the previous quark and gluon results by one and two orders. A curious relation is found at second order between these quantities, the splitting functions and the large-angle soft emissions in Drell-Yan type processes. We study the numerical effect of the N^3LL corrections using both the fully exponentiated form and the expansion of the coefficient function in towers of logarithms.

Comments: 20 pages, LaTeX, 6 eps-figures. Misprints in equations and fig. 5 corrected